There has been a proliferation in exercise related devices relating to a variety of sports, including, for example, cycling, cross-country skiing, running, swimming, golf, rowing, and the like. The typical piece of exercise equipment is generally large and heavy, requiring substantial floor space and effort to set up and/or take down. Such exercise equipment, from stair-climbing machines to treadmills to elliptical trainers, all promote forward movement of the legs. That is, such machines simulate actions in which the legs are forced to replicate the natural movement of walking or running.
In contrast, most sports, in addition to requiring forward locomotion, also require the athlete to move laterally. To increase the athlete's ability in lateral (side-to-side) movements, various obstacles and exercise regimes have been developed, e.g., jumping over cones, lateral step exercises, ladders, and the like. Each of these exercises are high-impact activities that place substantial stress on the athlete's leg joints, i.e., hip, knee, ankle, etc. Previous attempts to provide a suitable apparatus have resulted in costly, complex machines that utilize rollers and belts to smoothly simulate skiing, i.e., merely refine skiing technique. Unfortunately, these devices lack any resistance so as to provide strength training. Additionally, the devices further take up a large amount floor space, require a high level of skill prior to use, do not allow crouched/leaned back positioning of the user, allow repetitive stops to a single lateral direction, or the like. Therefore, there remains a need for an exercise device that simulates the lateral motion inherent in athletic activities avoiding the stresses typically placed on joints in such activities, while providing sufficient resistance-based strength training.